Gross Breach of Secrecy
by cosmic-cube-keeper
Summary: AU/Outside England. A young Canadian wizard and his muggle friends attend a rock concert in Toronto... members of the band get a rude introduction to the wizard world.


_**WARNING**__: Minor Character Death(OC), violence, coarse language, drug use._

_Harry, Hermione, Ron, nor any other kids from the books make an appearance in this story. Just making that clear right off the top._

* * *

**GROSS BREACH OF SECRECY**

"Wizarding court of Canada, criminal proceedings the 28th of June, regarding offences committed by one Travis Alexander Carter, resident of Penetanguishene, Ontario, on May 11, 2007." The court scribe read.

Travis shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the defendant's table, as the prosecuting attorney stood up. "Your honours… The court will hear evidence that the defendant did on May 11, 2007, in the presence of more than 4,500 muggles, cast more than a dozen charms and hexes, knowing full well, his actions contravened both Paragraph 3 of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, and Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. His actions not only were in FULL VIEW of hundreds of muggles, his actions also resulted in numerous significant injuries, and possibly several deaths."

"Objection, your honour." Jeff Sawyer, the attorney representing Travis stood up at once. "There is no proof his actions resulted in any deaths."

"Sustained." One of the judges declared.

"My apologies, your honour." Said the attorney, glancing over at the gallery. It was nearly unheard of that muggles would be permitted in the wizard court, yet, 2 individuals sat in the front row. At least one would be called as a witness.

"The record will also show, the defendant has been before the law on several occasions, and has also garnered more than a dozen fines from the Improper Use of Magic office."

"Objection, those records have no bearing on these proceedings."

"It demonstrates a pattern." The prosecuting attorney challenged.

"So it does, overruled." Said a second judge, who sat beside the witness box. The prosecution paused for several moments, reviewing his notes. "Commonwealth calls Mavis Flavern to the witness stand."

Everyone watched, as an older, squat witch made her way to the witness box, and was put under oath.

"Please state for the court, your occupation, Madam Flavern." Said the prosecuting attorney.

"I work in the Improper Use of Magic office."

"Please tell us what happened on the evening May 11th of this year."

"I was just about to leave the office, slightly before 10 pm, when the digital map indicated several bursts of magic in downtown Toronto. The map quickly ahem, zoomed in, as the muggles say, to indicate the area of Bay St. and Lakeshore Road. Further, we determined the outbursts were occurring within what is known as the Air Canada Centre. As one of my staff was on the telephone up to MLE, there was a further indicator of who was responsible for these outbursts."

"Is the one responsible in the courtroom?"

"He is." Mavis answered, pointing at Travis, "The defendant, Travis Carter."

"This is not the first time he has been in trouble with your office, correct?"

"No, most certainly not." Mavis answered quickly, "We have over 28 incidents, 18 of which have resulted in fines, 2 of which have also resulted in a summons to appear before this court."

"Thank you."

"Madam Flavern, Mr. Carter was not the only one who triggered detectors at your office from the Air Canada Centre that night, correct?" Said Jeff, standing.

"No, he wasn't."

"Has the other party or parties been charged?"

"Charges are pending the outcome of this trial. Troy Bartlet, 16, also from Penetanguishene, Ontario. He also had a lengthy stay at Upper Canada Hospital(1)."

"And how many times has this _Mr. Bartlet _been in trouble with your office?"

"Objection, relevance?"

"Goes to explain some of Mr. Carter's charges, your honours." Jeff answered quickly.

"You may answer." Said the judge closest to the witness box.

"108 warnings, 37 of which have resulted in fines, and a further 17 of those have been summons before this court."

"Yet," Said the prosecuting attorney, standing, "We are not discussing those events."

"Why, you brought them up." Said Jeff, holding back a smirk. The prosecuting attorney sat back down, quickly hiding the defeated look from his face.

"Go on, Madam Flavern."

"From most of the records we have, detectors have been set off by both Mr. Bartlet and Mr. Carter simultaneously."

"And what conclusion would you draw from that?"

"Objection, calls for speculation."

"Overruled, I believe Madam Flavern has enough experience to give a fair assessment here." The female judge answered.

"I would have to conclude, since both Mr. Carter and Mr. Bartlet live closely to each other, that they have a history together."

"I submit, as defence exhibit A, 13 hospital examinations, all of which were directly following confrontations between my client and Mr. Bartlet." Jeff said, producing a folder. An Auror quickly accepted the documents, and passed them up to the judges. The room fell silent, as the 3 judges leafed through the various pieces of parchment. The defence attorney seemed to ponder things for several seconds, then said, "No further questions."

"Redirect?" Questioned the first judge.

"No, your honour." Answered the prosecuting attorney.

"The witness is excused." Said the female judge. Madam Flavern quickly made her exit from the witness box, after which the prosecuting attorney again stood. "Commonwealth calls Senior Auror John Reymond to the stand."

The man who strode into the courtroom was not all that remarkable. At least at first glance. Yet, Mr. Reymond had studied in England under one Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, and so carried a reputation as one of the best in the Auror office, having adopted Moody's mantra of 'Constant Vigilance'. Once settled and sworn under oath, the prosecuting attorney began, "You were on duty on the evening of May 11 of this year?"

"I was."

"Please state for the court the events of that evening."

"Magical Law Enforcement received a call from the Improper Use of Magic Office, at precisely 9:52 pm on May 11, 2007." John began, pulling out a small notebook, and flipping it open.

"Auror Reymond, perhaps we might consider viewing your memory in a pensive." The female judge suggested.

"Indeed." Said John. The court scribe quickly produced a court pensive, and set it in front of the witness stand. He then took out his wand, and cast several charms on it to project the contents on the wall behind the witness stand, so everyone could see. John drew his own wand, placed it at his right temple, and drew what looked like a silvery strand from his head.

"On my magic, I swear that this memory is factual and complete." Said John, and a golden swirl of magic seemed to burrow into his chest, and vanish. He then dropped the silvery strand into the pensive, and the memory played back for the court.

It took nearly 2 hours for it to finish, the end of which being Carter's booking at ministry holding. Seeing it was nearing lunch time, the judges all agreed to call an hour's recess. This of course, also allowed members of the press, notably from the National Wizard's Standard, to go outside, make reports back to their offices. Reporters from Canadian Wizarding Wireless, or CWW were also covering the case.

oOo

The court reconvened just after 1 pm, with the prosecuting attorney completing his examination of Auror Reymond. Surprisingly, Jeff had no questions for the aging Auror. The prosecution wasted no time, in that case, proceeding to call two more Aurors to the stand, who both gave testimony similar to that of Auror Reymond. One also gave pensive testimony. As was the case with Auror Reymond, neither Auror was cross-examined.

"Anymore witnesses?" Asked the female judge.

"I have one final witness, your honours. The commonwealth calls Frank Cordell." Said the prosecuting attorney. Travis' heart skipped a beat. He knew this was coming, yet, it still worried him. How would the magical court weigh the words of a muggle?

All eyes watched, as one of the muggles stood up, and made his way to the witness stand. He was a short, but lean young man, dressed in an expensive suit. He had raven black hair that had been clipped short on both sides, but the top and the back was still long, and some of it fell across his face. He had both a nose and lip piercing, as well as what looked like a black button stuck on the bottom of both ear lobes. For the witches and wizards in the court, he was a striking image. His right arm was in a sling, and he walked with a slight limp, favouring his right leg. Unseen by the court, several large bruises still marked his right side. He was put under oath, and the prosecution began, "What is it that you do, Mr. Cordell?"

"I'm a musician." Answered Frank, "I don't know how much your world knows about, um, the music business, but, I'm a member of a band called 'Deadly Harvest'."

"And as you have explained to me, you and your band are presently touring the continent, correct?"

"Yes."

"Please tell the court what you saw on the night in question."

"Could I use that, um, bowl thing? Better than me try 'n explain, right?"

"Unfortunately not, Mr. Cordell. You're a muggle, and therefore have no way of directing the magic required to make it function." Answered the female judge.

"I am an accomplished legilimens, your honour." Said the prosecuting attorney.

"Legi…mens?" Asked Frank.

"I will peer into your memories, if you will allow me. I can then place them into the pensive for you. You will need to think of the events in question, so I can easily access them."

Frank sat quietly for several seconds, thinking carefully of the crazy events that took place on May 11.

"Now what?" Asked Frank, finally. The prosecuting attorney took out his wand, levelled it at the witness, and spoke softly, "Legilimens."

The memories of May 11 seemed to race in front of Frank's eyes, along with a few other things.

"Hey, that's enough!" Frank scowled. He needed not be magical to know the attorney was looking at more than he needed to.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Cordell," The prosecuting attorney apologized, "I will be sure to remove the extra memories." The court scribe had already produced the pensive again, and it now rested in front of the witness stand. The attorney drew out the memories required with his wand, and deposited them in the pensive.

The sound of loud music and screaming voices instantly filled the room. The attorney tapped the pensive with his wand, and the sound dropped considerably. The perspective seemed to be behind Frank, looking out into what was a sizable crowd of people. It had only played for a few seconds, when the attorney tapped the pensive again. "I will point out to the court, the defendant is right there." He pointed at the wall, sending several red sparks at the spot in the picture where Travis was.

Travis quickly whispered something to Jeff, who stood up. "My client would like the court to know, Mr. Bartlet is also present, right **there**." He pointed to another spot on the picture using blue sparks from his wand.

"So noted." The female judge stated. The prosecuting attorney again tapped the pensive with his wand, and the memory continued. It ran for several more seconds, then a scuffle broke out, as Travis and Troy found each other. Event security made their way over, and attempted to break up the altercation, but this only seemed to aggravate the situation. Two bursts of green light blasted from a stick in Troy's hand, which the court knew was his wand, in quick succession. One inadvertently struck one of the security staff. The other struck the ceiling, causing a loud bang. Travis had also pulled out his own stick, sending out coloured bolts of light; the court could easily see he was using defensive spells at this point. Another bolt of green light struck someone directly beside Travis. He had been trying to subdue Troy, but had been no match for the young wizard.

By this point, the music had stopped, another person had stepped up to Frank, and appeared to be shaking him gently on the shoulder. He seemed to be frozen to the spot. Another flash of green light just missed him by inches, instead impacting on something behind the view point, at which, the memory abruptly ended.

"I was knocked out by something, I think." Frank offered.

"Yes, the healers at Upper Canada are more than capable, Mr. Cordell." Said the prosecuting attorney, "You and more than a dozen more seriously injured muggles were taken care of that evening, according to record."

"But I don't get why Mr. Carter is on trial here, all he did was defend himself, and probably saved my ass." Frank challenged, "I might not know too much about your world, or whatever, but I don't think it takes a genius to figure out those green bolts or whatever kill whatever they hit."

"The Avada Kedavra curse, Mr. Cordell. It's an unforgivable, because it's instant death. It's bought Mr. Bartlet a one-way ticket to Azkaban(2)." The female judge explained, "This court will require you as a witness in his upcoming trial. Consider this a verbal subpoena." Frank only nodded.

"I have no further questions." The prosecuting attorney said, taking a seat behind his table.

"I think you for your testimony here, Mr. Cordell. I just have a couple of questions." Said Jeff, standing up, "The first of which, what did you think it was the defendants were using?"

"Some sort of, I don't know, some sort of laser, I guess."

"And lastly, between Mr. Carter and Mr. Bartlet, which did you see as the larger threat?"

"Mr. Bartlet, no question. I guess I should say thanks, Mr. Carter." Answered Frank. Travis felt his ears get warm from that comment.

"Thank you, no further questions." Said the defence attorney.

"The prosecution rests, your honours."

"I have just one witness. I call the defendant, Travis Carter, to take the stand." Said Jeff.

As Travis crossed the floor to the witness stand, he passed Frank going back to his seat.

"Good luck." Said Frank, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

Reaching the witness box, he took a seat, and drew his wand. "I, Travis Carter, swear on my magic that the testimony I am about to share is true and complete." A golden swirl of magic surrounded him, then vanished into his chest. He then placed his wand in front of him on the witness box.

"The witness has asked for veritaserum to be administered before he gives testimony." Said Jeff.

"Very well." The female judge said, gesturing to the court Auror. He retrieved a vial from the scribe station, then approached the witness box. Travis opened his mouth, and was given 4 drops of the powerful truth serum.

The court became silent, as the defence attorney allowed the veritaserum to take hold. At last, he began.

"Mr. Carter, let's just get right to the heart of the matter. Did you perform magic in the presence of muggles on the night of May 11 this year?"

"I did."

"Did you see your actions were in violation of the law?"

"Yes and no." Answered Travis, "I was attacked, both physically, and magically. Troy Bartlet has been an adversary for as long as I can remember. He saw me, we had words, and he attacked me."

"He attacked you physically."

"Yes." Answered Travis, "He threw several punches, one of which knocked out several teeth. He's busted my nose at least 3 times, cursed and hexed me, and now he's tried to kill me."

"Why do you think Mr. Bartlett has singled you out?"

"Because I'm gay." Answered Travis, "The kid's chased me around school, pounded the piss out of me, and once he got his wand, he's been able to attack me magically."

"Objection, relevance." The prosecuting attorney declared, standing. Travis noticed Frank was scowling at that remark.

"He introduced the defendant's history, this is most definitely relevant, your honours."

"I'm inclined to agree." The female judge said, "Objection overruled, the witness may answer."

"Do get to your point, though." The judge seated next to the witness box said.

"I'm getting there, your honour. Mr. Travis, Mr. Bartlet said something to you, did he not, before the altercation?"

"Yeah. He said he had apparated into the building."

"And why did he do that?"

"Because he heard I was there. He said, 'here to see your boyfriend, are you', or, something like that. That's when we started fighting. He landed a few good punches on me, then he pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Frankie."

"You mean Mr. Cordell."

"Yeah. So I was forced to pull out my own wand to try and protect people. I know he used the killing curse at least 5 times, I saw 2 people go down from it, one of them… was a close friend."

"Mr. Carter, I think now would be a good point for you to show us a memory of what happened." Said Jeff. The court scribe once again produced the pensive, and set it down at the witness box. Travis picked up his wand, and, thinking carefully of the memories from the incident, pulled out a silvery, shimmering wisp of energy from his right temple. He deposited it into the pensive saying, "I swear on my magic that the memory about to be shown is true and complete." Another swirl of magic surrounded him then vanished into his chest. He took a deep breath and tapped the pensive. Much like when Frank had shown his memory, the scene started with loud music. As Travis tapped the pensive to lower the volume, his mind drifted back to that fateful evening less than 2 months prior.

oOo

It was the late afternoon of May 11, 2007. It was a lucky thing That Travis had the afternoon off; his last class of the day had been Potions. Now, he was on his way into Toronto with a group of muggle friends, to an event he had been looking forward to since he had purchased tickets almost 6 months before; Deadly Harvest was playing at the Air Canada Centre that evening.

Although Travis was a young wizard, he was still much in tune with the muggle music scene. Specifically, music that had an edge to it. Along with Deadly Harvest, he also liked the music of Green Day, Linkin Park, and a number of similar bands.

The summer prior, he had attended both EdgeFest(3) and the Virgin Music Festival(3) in Toronto, both massive events that drew large musical acts.

"You still haven't told us where you got these tickets." Said Andy, the oldest of the group. He was 19, and was the driver.

"Yeah, backstage passes and all." Noted Nick. He was the youngest, having turned 15 in the fall.

"Oh, I have my ways." Said Travis, drawing his wand from his jacket. A round of snickers came from the kids; everyone in the car knew of Travis' 'abilities'. Some of their hijinx had resulted in warnings from the Ministry of Magic, but for the most part, Travis ignored them. Who were they to tell him where he could or couldn't use magic?

"Trav, you're gonna get yourself into some real trouble someday, pulling shit like that." Nick scolded.

"Nothing a memory charm can't fix." Travis gave a wicked grin, knowing a certain Toronto radio station was missing 4 V.I.P. passes to the concert that night.

Counting the heavy evening rush hour traffic, it took them nearly 4 and a half hours to travel from Travis' house in Penetanguishene, to downtown Toronto. Deciding not to even bother trying to find a spot close to the arena, they elected to instead park on the Exhibition Grounds. Travis then led his friends to a secluded area.

"Ok, link arms, guys." He said, which elicited groans from the others.

"Can't we just take the streetcar? I HATE that feeling." Tommy, the 3rd member of the group protested.

"And waste nearly 10 bucks for a 10 minute trip? Fuck that noise. C'mon, link arms." Travis persisted. With a bit more grumbling, everyone linked arms, and instantly vanished with an extremely loud CRACK, which sent the flock of pigeons resting on a nearby rooftop into panicked flight, startled by the loud noise.

They appeared directly behind the loading docks at the Air Canada Centre, Travis drawing his wand instantly, ready to apply a memory charm to anyone who had witnessed the group's sudden appearance. The precaution was unnecessary; the area was absent of people.

"We still have a few hours before the concert, let's find something to eat." Andy decided. There were no arguments, they had only eaten something light at Travis' house.

"Gonna need some money first." Said Travis, with a mischievous grin. Andy only rolled his eyes, knowing what Travis was about to do.

"Guys, gather around… don't want other peeps to see us doing this." Said Travis, as they approached an automated teller in the foyer of the Air Canada Centre. It was at the far end, which, fortunately, meant fewer people were around. Andy, Nick, and Tommy gathered around behind him, as he pulled out his wand, and muttered something in Latin. A bolt of magic shot from his wand, impacted the machine, and nothing seemed to happen. Travis was not concerned, as he retrieved his wallet from his jeans pocket, and from it, a bank card.

Less than a minute later, he stepped back from the machine, after uttering another incantation, brandishing his wand. In his other hand, a fistful of bills. Of his arsenal of tricks, being able to get computers to do his bidding was one of his favourites. When he discovered the Confundus charm in his 3rd year, he researched it well, and discovered that, with slight modification, many electronic devices could be fooled or made to do his bidding. He also learned the hard way, that too much force on the spell would damage the equipment. In 3 years, he had more than perfected it; his room was a testament to that.

The kids then walked up to Front St., deciding on a place called the Armadillo. It was both a restaurant and bar, which featured a tex-mex menu. The group spent the next couple of hours there, not only stuffing themselves, but indulging in a few beverages of choice. Being both a wizard and somewhat of a computer hacker did have its advantages.

oOo

Travis had been to several concerts before at the Air Canada Centre, but this was the first time ever he had gotten tickets for the front row. From there, everything would seem larger than life, or at least, that was what Travis was thinking, as the group took their seats. It was expected they wouldn't actually remain in their seats.

The concert opened just after 9 pm, and as expected, the seat was no longer required. To hear music on the radio was one thing, but it was quite another to actually be there, to experience the music live. To experience the music, along with a sea of humanity, and take away memories that would last for years.

Sometime later, as the band took a very short break, Travis and Frank actually made eye contact. Travis felt his ears go warm, as the rhythm guitarist gave him a thumbs-up, and mouthed, "Nice shirt!". Travis had wore a black tee with the words, "KILL 'EM ALL, let god sort 'em out". It was only a split-second thing, but Travis was briefly put on cloud nine from the experience.

The moment was abruptly shattered, as a voice screeched, "CARTER! HERE TO SEE YOUR BOYFRIEND, EH?!"

"Bartlet… what the fuck are you doing here?!" Travis snarled, his mind going into overdrive. Running into Troy Bartlet had but only one result, ever: an altercation. As it had always been, only one would walk away from it.

"I heard it through the grape vine you had front row tickets. Thought I'd apparate in, see for myself." Troy sneered, appraising Travis' group. "You brought bodyguards this time, eh?"

"I don't need no bodyguards. I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!" Travis had to shout, as the band started to play again. He glanced up, and caught Frank's eye briefly again, which, Troy noticed.

"IN LOVE WITH 'IM ARE YOU? REMEMBER WHAT I DID TO YOUR LAST FAG LOVER!" Troy shouted.

"DON'T YOU GOT SOMETHING BETTER TO DO, BARTLET?" Andy shouted.

"NO, I DON'T!" Answered Troy. Andy reached out to grab his shirt, but Troy made a pre-emptive strike, and slammed his fist into Andy's chest, knocking him back into a seat. Travis retaliated, landing a right hook into Troy's jaw.

It was as if Travis' punch had missed completely. Although it had busted Troy's lip open, he only grinned, looking at Travis as if to say, 'is that the best you got?'. Troy was most definitely an intimidating figure, standing at 6 foot 4, and weighing 200 pounds. Travis, on the other hand, was 5 foot 11, and very lean, being lucky to weigh more than 170 pounds. He knew, as he saw the fist flying at the side of his head, he wouldn't be visiting the band backstage after the concert.

His world spun for several seconds, while Troy dealt his midsection several powerful blows. He felt an awful crunch on the left side of his mouth, and found himself spitting out several teeth, his mouth then beginning to fill with blood.

The attack suddenly stopped, as Troy was staggered by a blow from behind. He fell to the floor, but this was by no means a good thing. He flicked his wrist, and his wand appeared in his right hand.

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Travis half yelled, half hissed.

"WHY NOT!?" Troy sneered, a demented smile crossing his face. He thrust it in the direction of the stage, screaming, "AVADA KEDAVRA!!"

In that instant, someone's hand was reaching down to haul Troy back to his feet, but he crossed paths with the deadly curse, and slumped to the ground. Troy smiled, and again thrust his wand toward the stage, repeating the unforgivable. Just as he did, Andy, who had finally came to, deflected the wand, causing the angry curse to deflect up at the ceiling. Travis had no choice, and, as injured as he was, he was forced to draw his wand.

"CONFUNDUS!" Troy roared, his wand thrust at Travis.

"PROTEGO!" Travis countered, summoning a blue shield that deflected the jinx. Nick tried to grab the wand from Troy, but was instead cut down by another green bolt of magic.

Travis felt the rage about to boil over. He had known Nick for most of his life. Now, his body lay on the floor of the arena, his unblinking eyes staring up at the ceiling. The music had then stopped, and no one seemed to know what to do. Travis only reacted. "REDUCTO!!" He screamed, wand levelled at Troy's groin. However, Troy simply side-stepped the curse, and it impacted with the stage skirting, blasting a hole in it. In the same motion, he again tried pointing his wand at Frank, and unleashed the killing curse. Frank looked to be frozen stiff, staring wide-eyed at the altercation, not understanding what was truly going on. The angry bolt of magic narrowly missed his head, and instead impacted with a bank of speakers directly behind, causing them to crash to the stage. The avalanche of equipment slammed into Frank's right side, sending him flying off the stage, falling on top of the altercation. He was out cold.

"YOU MOTHER FUCKER." Travis hissed, "YOU'LL GO TO AZKABAN FOR THIS!"

"HEH, UNLIKELY!" Troy roared back, "REDUCTO!" Travis was once again forced to dodge the dangerous spell, and it slammed into an already broken speaker, sending debris in all directions.

The crowd finally clued in that this was actually dangerous, and began a panicked, mass exodus from the arena. Troy couldn't resist, pointing his wand into the sea of humanity, casting a series of reducto curses. 8 people were felled by the destructive spells, and although not initially fatal, it would be, if they did not get medical attention soon.

"IMPEDIMENTIA!!" Travis screamed, his wand directed at Troy. It was the only thing he could think of. However, Troy only laughed, quickly breaking the charm, and sending another Reducto curse toward him. _Where the FUCK are the Aurors?!_ Travis half thought, half cursed, as he was forced to dodge another dangerous curse.

He then spotted one of the other band members, carrying something to the edge of the stage. Travis realized what he was about to do. _Just distract him for a second_, he thought, _Jelly-legs jinx… that should do_. He again levelled his wand at Troy, but the curse was unnecessary. The band member he recognized as Chester, tossed the heavy speaker at Troy. It landed with a sickening thud, causing Troy to stagger.

Travis wasted no time, and cast a full body bind on Troy, then retrieved his wand. The Aurors would want that for evidence.

"You Ok?" Chester asked.

"Fuck, no!" Travis yelled, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He pointed his wand at his mouth, and cast a numbing charm at the holes where the teeth had been.

"What… what are you?" Chester stammered, making no attempt to hide the fear in his voice, and on his face.

"I'm… I'm a wizard. You shouldn't… never have saw this!" Travis cried. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, or just break down and cry. No, all there was at this point, was rage. The boy who lay dead on the floor was enough for that. Yet, 8 more people lay horribly injured, Frank lay at his feet, unconscious, and nearly 5 thousand muggles had witnessed magic.

"This is one great big cluster fuck." Travis sighed, sinking into his seat.

"You… you saved Frankie's life." Chester said quietly.

"Couldn't save my friend, though. Jesus Christ." Travis cursed, kicking at something white that had slid under the seat beside him.

"Damn, that's Frankie's guitar." Said Andy, reaching down, and pulling it out from under the seat. It had clearly taken some damage, as the neck was barely connected to the body.

"Put it down." Travis said quietly.

"Why?"

"Just, put it down." Said Travis, his voice laced with anger. Andy quickly put the guitar down, and Travis pointed his wand at it. "Reparo." The guitar instantly returned to pristine condition.

"Man, you're gonna get a ton of letters from the Ministry." Said Tommy.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK I GIVE A FLYING FUCK!?" Travis erupted, "Jesus fuck! Nick's FUCKING dead! That guy over there is FUCKING DEAD! He could have died too!!" Travis gestured to Frank, who was still out cold on the floor. "I need a **fucking** cigarette!"

Just then, there was a rapid series of POPs, as no less than 15 people appeared in various places nearby.

"MINISTRY OF MAGIC! DROP YOUR WANDS, EVERYONE PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!!" One of them bellowed. Travis lay his wand on the floor, then stood, dropping his hands to his side. Chester also put his hands at his sides. "About FUCKING TIME you showed up, what took so long?!" Travis seethed.

"How dare you talk to us that way, young man!" An older woman snapped, "Now what's happened here?"

"He," Travis gestured to the now unconscious Troy, "Started this bullshit. His wand." Travis tossed the woman Troy's wand. "Do a Priori Incantatum on it. He cast at least 5 AK's." That drew a gasp from several of the Aurors. "We started fighting, and he started cursing people. I…" He fought back the emotions that were threatening to overrun him. "I… need a doctor, and so does he." Travis gestured to Frank.

"He's not magical…"

"WE DID THIS TO HIM!" Travis exploded, "So by FUCK we'll fix him! And those people too!" He gestured to the 8 individuals cut down by Troy's curses. That drew a gasp out of several Aurors, only now seeing the carnage.

"I'm Senior Auror Reymond. Mr. Carter, you do realize, you have committed at least 2 very grave offences here tonight."

"Yes sir."

"We have to place you under arrest, standard procedure."

"Yeah, I understand. But I was forced to react, Bartlet was trying to kill people."

"I saw… well, I don't know what exactly, but… it looked like the kid was defending himself." Said Chester.

"And you are?"

"Chester White, sir, and that one," He gestured to Frank, "Is my friend and band mate, Frank Cordell. That one," He again gestured to Troy, "Tried to kill Frankie. I saw that one killed." He gestured to Nick's body.

"We will need to take your statements, and most likely, you will be required to testify at trial."

"All this is fine and good, but I think…" Travis' world faded to black.

oOo

Next thing Travis knew, he heard people talking softly nearby. Slowly opening his eyes, he groaned. _Should have known… I'm in UCH_, he thought.

"…are we gonna do about the tour, though?" He heard someone saying.

"Don't know… we got a few days." That sounded like Chester. Travis propped himself up, and looked over toward the source of the voices. Frank was propped up in the bed next to his, the white guitar lazily lain across his lap, and Chester was sitting in a chair on the far side of the bed. "Mikey's discussing things with management, but worse comes to worse, we'll cancel or postpone things."

"Guys." Said Travis weakly, "Sorry for wrecking your concert." He tried to get up, but was struck with a wave of vertigo, and thumped back down on the bed in defeat.

"Hey man, if anything I should be thanking you, you saved my life last night." Said Frank, turning to face Travis. "And Chester tells me you fixed this last night." He gestured to his guitar.

"It was busted pretty bad." Answered Travis, "Fixing it was the least I could do, with the disaster my kind brought to your concert last night. Again, I'm sorry."

"My, my, my, Mr. Carter, quite the mess you've gotten yourself into this time." A woman said, striding into the office. Her dark blue robes seemed to flow around her, and she carried an air of importance.

"Sorry, professor. But, I only defended myself." Said Travis.

"Regretfully, you'll have to review for your OWLs on your own; these charges force me to suspend you until everything is cleared up, you know the rules."

"OWLs?" Asked Frank.

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," Answered Travis, "It's like, major exams before you graduate into senior high school, the best comparison."

"Oh." Frank nodded in understanding.

"Yet, if you keep going the way you are, Mr. Carter, you will be more likely to see the inside of a cell at Azkaban. I've warned you before, and I'll say it again, you must stop looking for trouble."

"I didn't go LOOKING for this fight, headmistress! He came after ME!" Travis huffed, frustrated.

"He's right." Said Frank, "The other kid started it, Travis just, I don't know what he was doing, but, he saved my life last night, and probably a lot of others."

"Professor." Said Travis, collecting himself, "This is Chester White, and Frank Cordell." He gestured to Chester, then Frank, respectively.

"Professor Carol Anne Bishop, Headmistress, Lake Nipigon Wizard's Institute."

"I go to school there." Travis supplied.

"And as I said, you won't for long at the rate you're going." Professor Bishop warned.

"Why don't I just quit, then?" Travis huffed, "I'll study on my own, and just lock myself up somewhere… Jesus Fuck, I need a cigarette."

"You know the rules here, Mr. Carter, you've been a guest often enough." A healer said, stepping into the ward.

"**Look**. Either I have a smoke, or I'm gonna hex someone." Said Travis, a dark look crossing his face. The medi-witch sighed, resigned to the fact she wasn't going to win this argument with the temperamental young man, turned on her heal, and walked out. It was then Travis noticed his jacket was missing. "'Course they didn't bring it," He snorted.

"The Aurors most likely had more serious issues than worrying about your belongings, Mr. Carter." Professor Bishop reminded.

"Here." Frank tossed him his pack of cigarettes.

"Thanks."

It was exactly what he needed. Not really concerned about the scowl he was getting from professor Bishop, he could feel some of the tension leave him, as the nicotine spread through his system.

"What time is it anyway?"

"Just after 10." Said Chester.

"God, this is gotta be the longest I've gone without a smoke."

"A disgusting habit." Said Professor Bishop, frowning.

"You know how hard it is to try and quit this shit?" Asked Frank.

"No, I'm afraid I don't." Answered the professor.

"What Travis is goin' through, that's a small slice of it. Believe me, I've tried."

"Where did my friends go?" Asked Travis, noting his surviving friends were missing.

"After questioning, their memories were modified, and they were sent home." Answered a man standing at the door, "Mr. Carter, good to see you at last awake." It was Auror Reymond. He gave a nod and a smile to Professor Bishop, who reciprocated.

"Just woke a few minutes ago." Said Travis. _Shit, I'll have to 're-educate' my friends again_, he thought.

"I was unable to collect a statement from you last night, well, considering you weren't in any condition."

"I Feel much better. What happened to Bartlet?"

"He's still unconscious, being kept under Auror watch." Answered the Auror.

"Good. Hope he rots, after all this shit." Travis could feel his temper rising, and clamped down on it. _No sense in garnering any further charges_, he thought, _I'm in deep enough shit as it is_.

oOo

"Mr. Carter?" He heard a voice say. The memory faded, replaced by the wizard court, his attorney standing in front of the witness box.

"Oh, sorry." He said, his mind still swimming.

"You need a moment?"

"…no." Travis said, looking over at the gallery, where Frank and Chester were seated. If one thing good came out of it, he had made friends with them.

"Your honours. I believe this pensive evidence clearly demonstrates who is truly at fault for this travesty, and it is absolutely **not** my client."

"Yet," The prosecuting attorney said, "It is still shown, Mr. Carter did in fact violate the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, your honours. Coupled with…"

"Save your speeches." The female judge said, "I think we are able to determine where the blame should be placed. Court Auror, please administer the antidote for the Veritaserum." The Auror nodded, produced a separate vial, and administered 4 drops to Travis' opened mouth.

"Mr. Travis, you are excused." Said the judge nearest the witness box.

"This court is now in a 15 minute recess while we discuss a verdict." The female judge announced.

Travis elected to just stay put at the defence table.

"I think your chances are very good for an acquittal." Said Jeff.

"No, they'll nail me with something." Said Travis, producing his Gringotts key.

"Just keep your fingers crossed."

"Man, what I saw was scary, but…" Said Frank, joining Travis at the table. Chester had also followed.

"Think of it this way." Said Jeff, "No matter what, this will be the last time you face Troy Bartlet outside of a courtroom."

"I hope they give him the dementor's kiss, that's exactly what he deserves." Said Travis, darkly.

"Demen…tor's kiss?" Asked Frank.

"Dark creatures that guard the wizard prison in England, where we send those convicted of serious crimes." Explained Jeff, "Their kiss sucks out the soul of the victim, leaving an empty shell of a human being behind."

"Oh."

"Yeah, it's not pleasant. Yet, you both have saw first hand some of the worst our society has. It is most unfortunate, most of us are nothing like that." Said Jeff. Frank shrugged. "Guess your 'wizard world' has the same shit problems the rest of the world has."

"Yeah, something like that." Said Travis.

"Have a seat." Jeff offered, conjuring up a pair of chairs. Both Frank and Chester briefly carried a look of surprise, but took the seats.

"Still not used to it, eh?" Asked Travis.

"It's still… weird." Answered Chester, "Seeing you just, well, make stuff out of thin air like that."

"Can you make money and shit like that?" Asked Frank.

"Wizard currency, no." Said Jeff, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a gold coin. "One, it's impossible for us to make gold. Two, our currency is charmed so it can't be counterfeited."

"Muggle money on the other hand…" A devilish grin crossed Travis' face.

"Travis! Please don't go there." Jeff groaned. _If only he knew the half of it_, Travis thought, _Good thing I didn't show anything before the actual confrontation in the pensive_.

Finally, the 3 judges returned, as spectators filed back into the observation gallery.

"You guys can stay put if you like." Said Jeff.

"I'll ask for quiet in the court." Said the female judge. The room went quiet. "Defendant, please rise." Travis and Jeff slowly stood.

"In the matter of the Magical Commonwealth of Canada verses Travis Alexander Carter. On the charge of use of magic while underage, we clear you of the charge. Your pensive testimony, along with that of Mr. Cordell, clearly demonstrate you were only acting in self defence, which is clearly outlined in the statute, as a suitable exception to it."

"On the charge of violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, we clear you of those charges also. We cite the same reason as for the first charge."

"However, Mr. Carter," The judge sitting next to the witness box stated, "This court must clearly warn you, the incident you were involved with was a grave breach of wizarding secrecy. This incident had the Muggle-worthy excuse committee very busy for several days. It is hoped you do understand the severity of the charges you were facing."

"I understand, your honour. I apologize for Mr. Bartlet, he seems not to know any better." Said Travis.

"In the Matter of Mr. Bartlet," Said the female judge, "This court will require both you, Mr. Cordell, and Mr. White to appear as witnesses, the date for said trial to be set in the near future. This case is now concluded, court is now adjourned."

As the 3 judges rose, there was a rush of media personnel out the back of the court. Travis groaned. It wasn't the first time he had been in the paper.

"Frank, Chester, you will need a wizard attorney. I'm willing to take you on." Offered Jeff.

"Much appreciated." Said Frank, as they shook hands.

"I'm confused. How, well, aren't you still breaking your, um, secrecy laws still, with us around?" Asked Chester.

"It won't matter." Answered Jeff, "Most likely, the Ministry will modify your memories once all this is over with."

"Modify our memories?"

"NO! To hell with that!" Travis burst. He saw them as friends, muggle or not. "The ministry already put secrecy charms on them as it is, shouldn't that be enough?"

"I'll find out." Answered Jeff. He thought for a moment. "You guys ended up cancelling a bunch of shows on your tour, correct?"

"The rest of the Canadian leg." Answered Chester.

"If Mr. Bartlet is found guilty, we can also press civil charges for damages and lost revenue."

"I'll be happy if he's found guilty, that's all that matters to me." Said Travis, darkly.

"That, I agree with. For now, let's get out of here." Jeff gestured to the now empty court room.

"Mr. Carter, this way." Professor Bishop said, indicating the side door leading down to the secure area, "I'm sure none of you would like to deal with the circus the press is running at the moment."

"No, professor."

Travelling up several flights of stairs, and several corridors, they arrived at an office, labelled "DEPT. OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT"

"Professor?"

"Only to borrow a floo, Mr. Carter."

"Professor Bishop, what… Mr. Carter, what have you done **this** time?" A tall witch said, seeing the group enter. An older woman she was, yet, only a little grey was showing in her otherwise brown hair, that fell loosely around her face. Yet, she came across as a woman not to cross.

"N… nothing, ma'am."

"We only wish to borrow your floo, Chris."

"This way." The witch said, leading them by a number of cubicles, some of them occupied. A far wall contained numerous posters and photos, all of which seemed to move. The group stepped into the office, on the door of which was the lettering: "Christine Thompson, Dept. Head".

"I assume you're heading home." Professor Bishop said.

"That would be the idea."

"I will see you whenever Mr. Bartlett's trial begins. And Travis. I hope to see you back at school come September."

"Count on it, professor." Said Travis. Professor Bishop nodded, and took a handful of floo powder from a container hanging at the side of the fireplace, then tossed it into the crackling fire, causing it to flare up and turn green. She stepped into it, saying, "Lake Nipigon, Headmistress' Office!", and vanished into the green flames, which dimmed and returned to normal. Chester and Frank had saw and used this mode of transportation already several times, but were still clearly unnerved by the process.

"Alright. Gather close." Travis said, also grabbing a handful of floo powder.

"Mr. Carter. I must again remind you, do keep on the right side of the law. The Improper Use of Magic Office is very tired of sending out letters to you." Said Christine.

"I'll try." Travis gave a quick smile, then threw the powder into the fireplace, again turning the fire green. "Step in, guys." They all squeezed into the fireplace, and Travis said, "Travis Carter's Residence!". They vanished into the flames.

The 3 of them were unceremoniously ejected from the fireplace into a heap on the floor.

"Well, how'd it go?" Came a woman's voice from another room.

"It's all good, mum." Said Travis, climbing to his feet, and giving his new friends a hand.

"And what of the Bartlet boy?" His mother asked, appearing. "Oh, Mr. White and Mr. Cordell. Are you staying for a while?"

"They'll be gone in the morning, overseas by international floo." Both Chester and Frank could see Travis' mother seemed to be uncomfortable with the mentioning of the floo network. "They haven't laid charges yet, but the fucker's toast now. They saw my memories today of him using the killing curse."

"Travis, please." His mother chided. Travis only rolled his eyes, but continued, "I'm going out to the shop. And you might want to unplug the phone for a while. I don't want to hear from anyone for the night."

"I'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Guys." Travis beckoned, leading them out the back door of the house.

The shop was pretty much Travis' domain. His father had tools and equipment there, and most certainly worked on his own projects, but pretty much since Travis got his letter from Nipigon, he virtually lived in the upper part of it. Frank and Chester had already been up there, having floo'ed into Toronto from Barcelona the previous evening.

To someone stepping into the space that was Travis' room, it was very clear a young wizard lived there. Along with posters of Deadly Harvest, Green Day, and several Canadian bands, there were several potions charts, magical star charts, and a ton of moving pictures from school. In one corner, a broom floated several inches above an old-fashioned steamer trunk. In an opposite corner, several computers were set up, one workstation having 3 monitors. Yet, on those same desks, sat numerous potions and vials. A number of bookshelves held both muggle and magical books. And, to cap things off, a magnificent barred owl sat on a perch and stand, near the large window.

"Like last time, ask before you touch. Some shit in here could hurt you badly." Travis warned. Frank only nodded, and began digging in a duffel bag he had brought, for a change of clothes.

"What's the muggle-worthy excuse committee?" Asked Chester, as he too began digging in his own duffel bag.

"They come up with plausible explanations for magic, when the obliviators can't cover things up discreetly. This shit that happened at your concert, well, they can't just obliviate people. God, by the time the Aurors got there, the arena had practically emptied."

"Well, to me it looked like lasers or something." Said Frank, "I'm gonna change." He disappeared into the bathroom.

"Good point." Said Travis, taking a seat at the largest workstation.

In the time it took for Frank to change, he had already pulled up several decent explanations as to what lasers were. He quickly printed off several pages, scribbled out a note, placed it in an envelope, then wrote "MoM, Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee".

"Now to send it." He said. He needed not say anymore, as the owl, whom he had named "Achilles", flew over to the desk, and extended one of his legs for said letter. Travis quickly secured the letter, and the owl took off for a small opening up in the rafters, vanishing out of sight. Frank and Chester both had saw mail sent and received this way already, having been at Travis' house before, and so were not entirely surprised by the behaviour of the owl.

Travis leaned back in his chair, and let out a sigh. "Fucking hell, this was stressful." He pulled down a small box from a shelf above the work station. He pointed his wand at the box, saying "Alohamora." The box clicked open, revealing a bag of marijuana, and some rolling papers. "Thank God for Mary Jane," He said, as he prepared to roll several joints. "After all this shit, I'm gonna celebrate by getting totally **fucked**; you guys are welcome to join me."

oOo

"Since our next show will be the last 'till October, is it alright to come back?" Asked Frank. The group had eaten breakfast, and had already floo'ed to the Ministry of Magic. They were then at the fireplace that connected to the International network, in the Floo Regulation Panel's office.

"Absolutely. Give me a call just before, I'll come down and meet you."

"If they're returning, I'll have to adjust the documentation." The officer in charge of the connection said. Chester and Frank passed back the packages given them initially, and the officer tapped them with his wand. "All set for a return trip. Most unusual, sending muggles through the floo, though, I must say."

"You can thank my dear friend, Troy Bartlet for this mess." Travis said dangerously, "If not for him, they wouldn't be here."

"And we wouldn't have met." Frank reminded.

"No, we would've met, but not this way. I had backstage passes."

"Along with a ton of other people." Said Chester, "At most, you would have met us for a few secs, and that would have been it."

Travis could only nod. He had no reason to doubt what Chester was saying; after all, both he and Frank, along with their band mates, were on a world tour. It was something they did many times over.

"10 am connection to Helsinki, Finland, 2 to transfer." Said the officer.

"I guess that's us." Said Frank.

"Take care, guys. Call me when you're coming back, I'll come down and meet you."

"Behave yourself, Mr. Carter." Said Frank, flashing a smile.

"Have a good show tonight." Travis said, as the officer threw a handful of floo powder into the fireplace, and gave the destination. "Go ahead," He said, indicating the fire. Travis watched, as Chester and Frank vanished into the green flames. He sighed, then asked, "This floo work locally?"

"That it does." Answered the officer.

"Good." He grabbed a handful of floo powder, tossed it into the fire, and stated, "Travis Carter's Residence!" then stepped into the fire, and vanished.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES/THOUGHTS**__: This was immensely fun to write. And, I will make this very clear, this is a seed for the main story line, "Canadian Intervention", which WILL involve Harry directly. How big a role Frank/Chester play in the main story line depends on reader reaction, I guess. However, Travis will be the main character along with Harry (of course)._

_Now… I ask you the reader, to not just shuffle away, or whatever, but do tell me what you think. Glaring plot holes, b.s. like that, please point it out, that's the only way I improve as a writer._

_I should also let you know, since this is coming from a Canadian perspective, the wizard world has more than a few differences… so I don't want to hear, "But that's not the way it works!" My reasoning is this: Canadian wizard society has adopted many things from England, but they have also evolved, and do many things differently. The court being the largest example, being magical magistrates (a panel of 3 judges), rather then the Wizengamot themselves… the Wizengamot is responsible for MAKING the laws, not enforcing them. So take anything that pertains to Canadian wizarding society with that grain of salt… although, let me know if something sounds a little too off the wall._

_(1)Upper Canada Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Situated close to St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto, this hospital, like St. Mungo's in London, is a wizard hospital._

_(2) Canadian wizard society has no native prison, and so send the convicted to Azkaban._

_(3) Both of these events are huge in Toronto, and attract some pretty big names. This year's EdgeFest (which will be held at Downsview Park in Toronto) will feature Linkin Park as the headlining act._


End file.
